Not far from the House Of Gas (make your own joke) sits the
World's Largest Chair, measuring 33 feet tall. For years, the
World's Largest Chair has been the site of speculation about
when it would rightfully support the World's Largest Butt, or
when someone would drape The World's Largest Blazer over it,
or stand up in it to change the World's Largest Lightbulb. Rumor
has it that the Japanese are working on a bigger, more efficient
chair, but it's plain to see that Alabama had it first. When
visiting the World's Largest Chair, please make note of the World's
Largest wad of gum, stuck to its underside by the World's Largest
Third-Grader.

A recent AL reader inquired about directions to the world's
largest chair, hopefully not just looking for a comfortable place
to sit. We're sorry for the oversight. We thought everybody knew
where it was...

The World's Largest Chair is located in Anniston Alabama,
beside Miller Furniture on Noble Street in downtown Anniston.
It is three blocks down from the worlds largest water-cooler.

The next major site on the Wacky Alabama Trail is the Ave
Maria Grotto in Cullman. Painstakingly crafted over forty years
by a Benedictine monk by the name of Brother Joseph Zoettl, the
Grotto is a miniature, true-to-scale replica of the city of Jerusalem
and other biblically historic sites, such as the Hanging Garden
of Babylon, St. Martins Church, and the Lourdes Basilica. The
Grotto is a beautiful and mysterious place, but one has to wonder
if it would have been built at all had Brother Joseph had cable
TV.

As you cross
the state line on I-65, entering the State of Alabama from Tennessee,
you might notice a Saturn rocket sitting on the side of the road.
Do not panic. We contacted NASA, who assured us that this is
not the same Saturn rocket that was lost in 1968, but another
one, sold to the State at one of NASA's yard sales. A recent
attempt by the staff of the "Boogie" Bungalow to launch
this landmark was unsuccessful. If you like this rocket, you
should head straight for Huntsville, where there's a rocket on
just about every street corner.

DeSoto Caverns

Many Alabamians have successfully avoided the hole in the
ground named for the Spanish explorer who didn't discover it,
Hernando DeSoto. One can only hope that coincidental proximity
to a natural feature in the earth might someday lead to having
it named after you, but this has to be beyond Hernando's wildest
dreams. He wandered past one day as he tried to find where he'd
left his boat (Florida), and now they've named the cave/theme
park after him. The cave once found it's natural calling as a
saloon, a dance hall, and now is the home to a laser light show
featuring tour guides (basically to walk you around in a single
room), kiddie attractions, and a hammed up video. As a cave goes,
this place is pretty cool. As a tourist attraction, it's pure
Alabama. Wacky.